Separating-machine



PHILIP EBY, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A C

T OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO ART IN BUTTONS, IN 0., OF QRPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEPARATING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Substitute for application Serial No. 312,369, filed July 21, 1919;renewal of application Serial No.

21,540, filed February 4, 1918; renewal of application Serial No.114,705, filed August 14, 1916.

This application filed June 9, 1920. Serial N 0. 387,544.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILIr EBY, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separating Machines, of which the following is a specification. i

The present invention relates to separating machines and an objectthereof is to afford a machine for readily separating blanks ofdifferent sizes, with particular reference to button blanks, which havea shape generally semi-spherical or semielliptical, including one fiatside produced by sawing the nut to form the blanks. The structure isdesigned with a view to separating button blanks according to themaximum size of button that can be formed therefrom. Another object ofthe invention consists in providing a simplified structure of very fewparts, which will automatically receive and separate the blanksirrespective of the manner in which they are fed to the apparatus, sothat they can be placed in the machine indiscriminately, without regardto location, thus greatly reducing the time and labor involved in theoperation. To these and other ends the lnvention consists of certainparts and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafterdescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of an apparatus constructed in accordance withthis invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the machine showing twoblanksin position;

n Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3 3 of ig. 1 showing a blank inposition; I

'Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1, showing theposition of a blank when reversed from the position of Fig. 3;

. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a mo of the apparatus; 7,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the machine shown inFig. 5 with a pair of blanks in operative position; and

dified form the several views indicate the same Fig. 7 is a sectionalview on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

Similar reference characters throughout parts.

There are various ways in which the invention may be carried out in apractical way, and in the drawings there are disclosed two forms ofconstruction which illustrate preferred methods of accomplishing theresult, although it will be understood that the invention is not limitedto the precise arrangements herein disclosed, which are intended merelyas illustrative of the novel features. The structure of Fig. 1 includesa pair of rotary'members having their axes of rotation in the samehorizontal plane and carrying pinions l and 2 in mesh with each other,while 3 is a'drive pulley mounted on one of the rotary members forapplication of power thereto from any suitable source. Each of therotary members comprises a cylindrical portion 4 and a spirally groovedportion 5, the cylindrical portion upon each member being disposedopposite the spirally grooved portion upon the other, and serving toengage the flat side of a blank A in the manner shown in Fig. 2. Thecylindrical and spirally grooved portions are alternated on each memberso that a blank becomes properly positioned with its flat side against acylindrical portion, irrespective of how it is fed into the apparatus,as clearly, illustrated by the oppositely disposed blanks shown in Figs.8 and 4% respectively. The spiral groove is limited by two abrupt edgesor points 6, and 6" formed by a narrow cylindrical shoulder 6, and is ofsuch a size as to receive the rounded portion A of a blank. Blanks ofdifferent sizes afford various sized buttons, and the blanks areseparated according to the size of the button that can be formed fromthem. In the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2, if the rounded portion Ais narrower than the distance between the supporting edges 6 and 6" ofthe cylindrical surface 6, the blank will fall through into a suitablereceptacle provided for the purpose, and any blank larger than that justreferred to will be carried by movable abrupt gaging points or edges tothe end of the groove and discharged into another receptacle. In themachine just described, provision is made for separating the blanksaccording to two sizes only, one under the size of the spiral groove 5,and the other over such size, and in Fig; 2 there are illustrated twoblanks, one of which is shown in the position of falling through betweenthe cylindrical surface and the spiral. groove, while the other blank 13is of a different contour from which a larger button can be formed, andis shown in the act of being carried along the spiral groove restingagainst'the cylindrical shoulder 6 of the one member and the cylindricalportion 4: of the other.

In Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, there is shown another form of this device,designed for separating, according to three different sizes, and to thisend the spirally grooved portions 7, 7" and 7 and 8 S and S are ofconstantly increasing size, so that as a blank travels from the lefthand to the right hand end of the machine, the smaller blanks will. bedischarged first, and the larger ones carried to the right handend ofthe ap-' paratus, it being understood that suitable receptacles areprovided for the different sections of the separating members, one foreach size. The spirally grooved portions and the cylindrical portionsare arranged alternately on the respective rotary members so that acylindrical portion 9 may engage a fiat side of a blank in eitherposition that it may assume when fed to the machine. The spirallygrooved portions 7 and 8 are of one size, 7 and 8 of the next largersize, and 7 and 8 of the largest size, and in Fig. 6 there appeartwoblanks in the position which they assume in the machine; the dotted lineC of theblank C shows the appronimatesize of the button that is to becut from the blank before finishing, the blank and either permits it tobe discharged or carries it farther to another )art of the machine, thisbeing accomplishec by engagement of the edges of the cylindricalshoulder 10, on opposite sides of the groove 7, at opposite points ofthe rounded por tion C "of the blank, while the flat side of the latteris engaged by the cylindrical portion 9 upon the opposite rotary member.The blank C, it will be observed, is of approximately the sizedetermined by the rectangle formed between the rotary members andindicated by the dotted line C, so that the blank C is discharged into apocket or receptacle under this portion of the apparatus, while theblank D is of larger contour, and is fed longitudinally of the machinethrough the action of the spiral grooves until it reaches a space thatis large enough to permit it to fall into its par-v ticular receptacle.

It will be observed that the button blanks are sorted, by measuring orgaging them so measured to determine its thickness.

and the spiral groove 7 measures as to determine their averagethickness, thus enablingtheir classification according to both thegreatest depth and largest diameter of a given predetermined size ofbutton which it' is practical to subsequently cut from a blank. Thesorting isdone by measuring the thickness of the blank at two separatedpoints, which we may term the shoulders, which are spaced equi-distantlyfrom a base line against which the flat face of the blank rests. In themachine illustrating the present embodiment-of the invention, thecylindrical portion of one of the rolls comprises the base, and the gagepoints are formed by the adjacent, or inner boundary edges of theopposing convolu tions on the other roller. The two rolls ro tate uponparallel axes and are separated a predetermined distance, thus fixingthe thickness measurement of the blanks which may pass between thecylinder of one roll and the edges of the convolutions on the opposingroll. The convolutions are helical recesses forming alternate "ridgesand de-1 pressions, the ridges between adjacent con volutions being ofsufiicient width to provide a cylindrical surface or surfaces, the

edges of which constitute the separated gage points which test thebutton blanks accordingto the diameter of the button which is same timethe blank is v The depths of the recesses formed by the convolutions areof importance as they provide sufiicient clearance to allow the domed orrounded surfaces of the blanks to pass through between theseparated-gage points which measure the blanks to determine theirshoulder thickness.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

to be cut at the 1. A separating machine comprising a pair of rotarymembers arranged in spaced relation to each other in substantially thesame horizontal plane, and provided with alternately arrangedcylindrical and spirally grooved portions, the spiral grooves increasingin size in the successive grooved portions from one end of the machineto the other, and disposed opposite cylindrical portions on the othermember.

2; A separating machine comprising a pair of rotary members arranged inspaced relation to each other in substantially the same horizontal planeand each provided with a series of alternately arranged cylindrical andspirally grooved portions which only in so far are in staggered relationon the two menl- 7 bers, the latter being the same distance apartthroughout their length and the spiral grooves of the series of groovedportions'increasing in size from one end'of the machine to the other,whereby the larger sized blanks are not discharged until they reach thecorresponding larger grooves.

Y her to define the 3. A button blank sorting machine comprising a basemember having a plain surface, and a spirally grooved roller havingspiral ridges provided with cylindrical faces and abrupt corners adaptedto cooperate with said base member to measure the depth and shoulderthickness of a blank.

4. A button blank sorting machine comprising two opposed rollers spacedapart and mounted to revolve upon parallel axes, one roller having acylindrical ing a measuring base and the other provided with a helicalgroove. and ridges having cylindrical faces, the edges of the ridges atopposite sides of the groove forming gage points cooperating with thebase surface to simultaneously measure the depth and shoulder thicknessof a blank.

5. A button blank sorting machine comprising a base member having aplain surface, and a carrier having abrupt gaging points spaced todefine the diameter of the button and being spaced from the base membera distance less than the distance between said gaging points to definethe thickness of the button.

6. A button blank sorting machine for sorting button blanks having thegeneral form of spherical segments 7 and having plane bases, saidmachine comprising a base member and a cooperating member substantiallyparallel therewith, and having gaging points spaced from each other todefine-the diameter of a button and from the base memshoulder thicknessthereof.

7. A button blank sorting machine comprising a plurality of pairs ofabrupt gaging points movable to carry the button blank from one pair tothe next and spaced apart to define the diameter of the button, eachpair of points having a greater distance between its points than thedistance between the points of the preceding pair,

surface comprisand means spaced from the abrupt gaging points a distanceless than the distance between the gaging points to define the thickness of the button.

8. A button blank sorting machine comprising a pair of rotary membershaving a pair of abrupt edges spaced to define the diameter of thebutton and formed to feed the blanks in the direction of the axes of therotary members, said rotary members also having means to support theblank during such feeding, said means being spaced from the abrupt edgesa distance less than the distance between such gaging edges to definethe thickness of the button.

9. A button blank sorting machine comprising a base member, and meansfor moving a button blank along said base member having a pair of abruptgaging points spaced to define the diameter of the button and spacedfrom the base member a distance less than the distance between saidgaging points to define the thickness of the button. I

10. A button blank sorting machine comprising a base member, and rotarymeans for moving the button base member, said rotary two spirally formedabrupt gaging points spaced to define the diameter of each button, andspaced from the base member a distance less than the distance betweensaid gaging points to define the thickness of the button.

11. A machine for sorting button blanks comprising a pair of rotarymembers having cooperating portions to feed button blanks in thedirection of the axes of the members, said portions providing a pair ofabrupt gage edges for defining the diameter of the button, and alsoproviding means for defining the thickness of the button.

PHILIP EBY.

means having blanks along said

